Huron River Watershed Council

Climate Change Challenge

Rising air temperatures and more frequent and extreme rainfall events
compound threats to aquatic systems that already exist in urban and
suburban settings. These changes threaten to push the Huron River
outside of the range of conditions
within which the system can support healthy biological communities
indicative of a functioning ecosystem.

The Conservation Response

In response, the Huron River Watershed Council is implementing a suite
of strategies to keep water temperatures cool, river flow within the
natural range of variation and fish populations healthy. Riparian
forests can buffer rivers from
increasing air temperatures and also allow water to infiltrate, cool
and enter the river as groundwater. A Natural Rivers District
designation along much of the middle reaches of the river can help
maintain these vital buffers. HRWC is working with the State
and local governments to strengthen compliance and enforcement of the
Natural Rivers District keeping riparian forests intact. For fish
populations to be resilient to more extreme events such as large rain
events or prolonged drought, they need an environment
that supports sustainable populations of each age class and high
survival of young of the year. To achieve this, HRWC is working with dam
operators to reduce damaging high flow events during spawning,
restoring habitat in highly degraded stretches of river,
and implementing a “no catch and keep” campaign encouraging fishermen
to release caught fish during the spawning season.